HAPPENhttp://www.happen.ca
Linking People and OpportunitiesFri, 01 Sep 2017 15:25:07 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.2http://www.happen.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/cropped-happen-logo1-32x32.pngHAPPENhttp://www.happen.ca
32327 Ways to Boost Your Career in 2017http://www.happen.ca/7-ways-boost-career-2017/
Thu, 05 Jan 2017 16:44:58 +0000http://www.happen.ca/?p=10931I was enjoying a beer over the holidays with a friend and sharing our recollections of the past year and what we had to look forward to in the coming year. Dan had his best year ever, he hit his sales numbers about two-thirds of the way through the year, earned a huge bonus and […]

I was enjoying a beer over the holidays with a friend and sharing our recollections of the past year and what we had to look forward to in the coming year. Dan had his best year ever, he hit his sales numbers about two-thirds of the way through the year, earned a huge bonus and enjoyed promotion to a senior account manager role.

His boss was expecting to see him take a higher profile role in the team with added responsibility, he was going to be traveling more, and his new sales target appeared atmospheric. He didn't know how he was going to fit it all in. He was dreading 2017.

If the end of 2016 for you was anything like it is for Dan, you found yourself having to try and wrap up some key projects, drive in some final numbers, perhaps even complete performance reviews and other year-end tasks.

Then, before you can catch your breath or even start to worry about work, you were straight into planning, preparing and, hopefully, enjoying the holidays with family and friends and not getting despondent from all the negativity that many people felt this past year, in particular, brought them.

You must be exhausted already! Kicking off another year can be a daunting proposition. A new year brings a fresh set of challenges and almost a feeling of starting all over again. It doesn't have to be that way. First things first, bid a final farewell to the last year, you can even use the 15 questions from the Review Your Year With No Fear Workbook to feel entirely complete, get your copy by clicking here.

Now for 2017. How do you find the energy to kick off another year, build your personal brand, maintain momentum and ensure you don't get bogged down or distracted to still achieve what you want to in your career?

Here are seven ways to boost your personal brand and get things done without feeling overwhelmed.

Set Only One Goal

Goal setting is important, and although I am not in the camp of saying that goals or resolutions don't work, we need to be smarter and realistic about what we set and expect of ourselves. Only 8% of goals or resolutions set are achieved by year end, so rather than run the high likelihood of not hitting them, or even dropping them before the end of January, set yourself one big career goal for the year. Imagine that you are sitting down having that beer with Dan at the end of this year and excitedly telling him what that one significant career achievement was. Then work backward, identifying the steps, actions and milestones it took to get there.

Do One Thing Every Day

Once your know what you year goal is ensure that you stay focused. Review it each evening and then commit to one action the next day that is going to move things forward. Determine what your most productive time of the day is and book an appointment with yourself to spend at least 30 minutes on that one thing.

Resist the temptation to open emails, or worse distraction of social media, do not let others peoples lives and agendas run your day.

Momentum is the key.

Get Known for One Thing

If I were to ask some of your colleagues what you are known for, what would they say? Is that what you want recognition for this year? We have all heard the figure of speech "Jack of all trades but master of none." Don't be thought of like that at work. Identify the essential skill or attribute that you want to own this year, then do a self-communication audit to determine the best medium for you to communicate your uniqueness and get noticed at work consistently.

Pick One Social Channel

Managing how your online brand is perceived is important, trying to do it across a multitude of channels is foolish unless you have a team to do it for you. For many of you, there will be one social network above others that makes the most sense for you and your target audience. Most professionals will find that will be one of the 'big' three or four - Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram. Pick one and become highly efficient and impactful. Do not run the risk of diluting your personal brand by trying to cover all the bases; it will likely end up feeling like too much work and like a resolution fades away or be a drain on your time for little return.

Your Network is Your Net Worth

The end or the start of a year is an excellent opportunity to review your network strategy. If you ask "What strategy?" then start by determining what you want to offer and get from investing time in other people. Do not look to be adding connections for the sake of saying you have a big network. Think instead about who you can help, who you can influence, who influences you and who can help you move toward that career goal. Then look to add value purposefully, help others and career karma will come back to you over time.

Stay consistent with your networking activity, do not only look to 'fire up the Rolodex' when you need it.

What Can't Be Measured, Can't Be Improved

One of the reasons that most of you will drop off the resolution wagon is a failure to review and measure your progress. Start this year by benchmarking the essential elements that will determine your career goal success. Like Dan, this might be revenue figures; it could as easily be the number of connections or followers or readers of articles. Whatever the metric is that you choose, be sure to review progress at least monthly. That way if things are not tracking the way you hoped you could make adjustments or change tactics.

Stay True to You

If 2016 taught us one thing, it was to expect the unexpected. Not everything is going to happen the way you want it or in the timeframe you expect. Don't push the agenda too much that it compromises your personal brand. Stay true to who you are and what you believe and stand for rather than appearing false or inauthentic. Be prepared to pivot when necessary, however, resist the temptation of the next bright shiny project before you have given it a fair shot.

Depending on the culture, faith or belief the significance of the number 17 has a variety of interpretations, check them out here. I liked the fact that you need 17 muscles to make a smile, good enough reason for me to make you smile this year.

Looking for more help in taking your career to the next level in 2017? We will be launching our Getting Your Year in Gear program later this week, sign up to be notified first by clicking here.

]]>5 Ways to Speak Like the Ideal Candidate in an Interviewhttp://www.happen.ca/5-ways-speak-like-ideal-candidate-interview/
Sun, 18 Sep 2016 20:16:57 +0000http://www.happen.ca/?p=10163 Diana YK Chan, MBA Career Coach | Interview Strategist | Speaker | Recruiter ► Helping career changers & job seekers find meaningful work Any job seeker determined to finally have a meaningful career would agree that the job interview is the most crucial stage in the process. Even if you have a remarkable resume, […]

Any job seeker determined to finally have a meaningful career would agree that the job interview is the most crucial stage in the process. Even if you have a remarkable resume, an excellent online profile, and made a good impression during your networking efforts, if your interview performance doesn’t match up, you run the risk of falling flat.

After going through all that work to go as far as the interview, of course, you’d rather not run that risk.

With that in mind, what can you do to get better chances of being offered the job?

The answer is pretty simple, be prepared! Practice what you’re going to say (but not to the point where it sounds scripted and unnatural), research about the company ahead, and come up with your own communication strategy.

Previously, I had talked about what you should NOT be doing during an interview, which can definitely help “suit you up” for your interview. Now to better power you up, here are five ways to speak in a way that persuades employers that YOU are the ideal candidate!

#`1 - Speak with assertiveness, confidence, and enthusiasm.

You can have the most impressive background and skills there is but if you speak in a dry, monotone voice, you’ll easily bore your interviewer. They may even think you’re not truly interested in the job since you sound so bored and apathetic. Your tone of voice makes ALL the difference in interviews, so make sure you practice how you’re going to deliver what you’re going to say! Remember to keep your interviewer listening and engaged.

It's HOW you say WHAT you say that matters.

#2 - Speak with structure.

The interviewer has probably interviewed quite a few more candidates before you, and maybe more so after your turn, so how do you make sure you’ll be remembered? The answer: make it easy for your interviewer to take notes by speaking with structure. Two best ways to do this is to use the CAR method for behavioural questions, which stands for Context, Action, and Result. The second is focusing on the three key reasons for motivational questions and three key actions you took to do something or your top three achievements, because people think of things in threes.

Apply a consistent framework to speak to stand out.

#3 - Provide proof.

You know what they say, if you got it, flaunt it! If you have any amazing success stories to share in your previous jobs, let your interviewer know. Provide example scenarios where you resolved a problem or made a big contribution to a company. If you even have the numbers or statistics to prove it, use them! However, you need to remember that there’s a fine line between showing the employer what you’re capable of and being cocky, so be careful.

Give evidence of support to backup your candidacy.

#4 - Speak about what’s important to the employer.

How will your accomplishments and experience resonate with your employer? How will it make your employer see you’re capable of owning the role? Remember that every company experiences different challenges, despite being in the same industry. Thus, you need to take a more targeted approach to your interviews by talking about how you can solve their problems and add value to their company. If possible, try attending an informational interview with someone in your network who works with the company. You can also attend one of the company’s info sessions and talk directly with recruiters and hiring managers.

Know what it takes to be successful in the role.

#5 - Speak in a concise manner.

Interviews are no place for you to beat around the push or ramble, your interviewer’s time is precious, so don’t make him feel as if you’re just wasting it! Be straight to the point with your answers and bottomline your messages. You don’t always have to give a long answer as long as it’s concrete and it’s what the interviewer is looking for. You’re still free to elaborate and support your answers, but be wary of going off topic!

Create effective sound bites.

Once you have these down you’ll be delivering an impressive interview as easily as talking to a friend!

There are several more ways for you to be at your best during job interviews, and this Tuesday, Sept. 20, I’ll be doing a seminar on How to Be Impressive and Ace Your Interviews in Mississauga, Ontario!

This event is from 8:15 am - 12:00 pm, and I’ll be covering topics on:

The 4 most common interview mistakes that lead to a rejection

The qualities you need to demonstrate to be an impressive candidate

How to make a lasting first impression

How to master your glowing introduction story with confidence

How to translate your experience that’s relevant to what the interviewers want to hear

How to sell your unique value offering

How to respond to tough interview questions

How to become a no-brainer candidate to hire

If you’re interested in joining and mastering your interviews, sign up here!

Hope to see you there, good luck in your next interviews!

Is this your first time reading one of my articles? Awesome! I hope you enjoyed it! If we’re not connected on LinkedIn yet, send me an invite. I'm a Career Coach and Motivational Speaker who founded MyMarketability to help multi-passionate career changers and driven jobseekers find meaningful work and differentiate as high potential talent. I speak about career planning, job search, personal branding, networking, resumes, interviews and LinkedIn. I’m passionate about helping people thrive.Want to elevate your career? I invite you to visit www.mymarketability.com and subscribe to my list to receive exclusive career and job search advice that I only share in email.

]]>10 Surefire Tactics to Get Promoted Faster & Easierhttp://www.happen.ca/10-surefire-tactics-get-promoted-faster-easier/
Sun, 29 May 2016 16:25:16 +0000http://www.happen.ca/?p=9216 Enjoyed this article? Please hit LIKE, leave a COMMENT and SHARE with others. Thanks. If you would like to understand more consciously the key elements of your personal brand and become much more engaged about what you do, get a FREE copy of the workbook "Finding Your Rebel Voice - 7 Strategies To Connect […]

Enjoyed this article? Please hit LIKE, leave a COMMENT and SHARE with others. Thanks. If you would like to understand more consciously the key elements of your personal brand and become much more engaged about what you do, get a FREE copy of the workbook "Finding Your Rebel Voice - 7 Strategies To Connect With Who You Are" - you can access it by clicking here. ( http://paulcopcutt.com/finding-your-rebel-voice/ )

Paul Copcutt has been described by Forbes magazine as a leading personal brand expert globally, and by clients as their “Rebel Guide". He inspires and helps professionals, executives and entrepreneurs to be innovative and personal with their brands to stand out, advance their careers and grow their business. Visit his blog www.paulcopcutt.com for over 500 free articles on personal branding or see where he is speaking next so you can check out his custom Converse Chuck Taylors.

30 years ago you were told to expect to work for one employer for life,
20 years ago you were told to plan for extra leisure time because of automation, 10 years ago one quarter of the new jobs being created had never existed previously.

Now graduates are told to expect to be back at school every decade to retrain.

NEWSFLASH: The world of work is changing. Forever. Always.

We have been hearing human resource, organizational development and career guru’s telling us that for years. Gone are the days when ‘Personnel’ came and tapped you on the shoulder and told you about your next career move.

Once you make it to the next promotion, there are on-boarding programs, online courses and books, like “The First 90 Days” to help.

But what about before all that happens? Where is the help that you need to gain that next promotion? Tenure and years of experience are no longer the key determining factors. Now it is how you are perceived, who you know and the influence that YOU

have. You have to help yourself because….. The help? That’s down to you.

“It’s up to you to own the definition of who you are”
Paul Copcutt

Career management needs to be a proactive process. You need a plan with concrete steps and actions that you can implement over time that will increase your chances of being in the right place, at the right time and, ideally land you the next role before the position is posted or advertised.

10 Surefire Promotion Strategies1. Play the part

“That’s not my job” are four words that will almost ensure the next promotion is not going to be yours. You have to be thinking beyond your job description. Doing the minimum is not going to cut it. It is not a case of arriving early and leaving late. Rather, it’s about working smarter and much more effectively so that what you do has impact, ripples through the organization and gets noticed.

When your boss has a new project, ask to be involved and, volunteer for additional responsibilities. Make sure you attend company events and functions and also ensure that you dress the part.

2. Room to grow
Hopefully you did some of your research before you even joined your current organization or department and you know that there is room to grow. But if not;
Does the corporate culture support your style?
Does your manager have the necessary leadership skills to develop you?
Do you have team members who will lift you up versus stab you in the back?
If not then the time and effort it will take to gain that next promotion may be wasted or at the very least be incredibly frustrating. You may need to start to look for other areas in the company where there is a better fit, or even consider a job move.

3. Opinions matter
Contrary to what you may read, managers do not want ‘YES’ people in their teams. They do not want stubborn or arrogant people either. Be prepared to challenge in a positive way, come up with viable solutions or at least to have a logical discussion around a direction or decision that you do not agree with. Your opinions will matter. Next time your boss might come to you first to see what you think.

4. Mentor both ways
Common advice for those looking to manage their careers is to find a mentor. Question: Are you currently mentoring someone in your organization? Be sure to be walking the talk first.

Nike has a culture of reciprocal mentoring throughout their organization. At Nike if you are looking at a career move and want to apply for a promotion, your boss will first ask the question;

“Who is your replacement?”

There is an expectation that you have been talking to others about your role to gauge their interest and mentor t, mentoring and grooming your successor. This works both ways as others in the company come to you to talk about their roles and gauge your interest. It is not uncommon within Nike to be considering 2-3 new positions at any one time.

5. Career Karma
Take an interest and champion the success of others. See how and where you can support others with their own career management and progression. This can go beyond mentoring. You could be recommending them for new roles or bringing them on to a project you are leading to give them the extra experience and exposure they need. It’s good leadership – and career karma.

6. Training and development
Nothing at work is remaining the same for long. Look at where you want to be heading and what new skills or knowledge you might need to help you get there. See if the company will pay for this or whether you need to be looking at funding this investment yourself.

7. Influence
Learning new skills is great but not at the expense of your influence. The old saying “Jack of all trades and master of none” often means you are competent with many skills, but spend so much time learning each new skill that you cannot become an expert in any particular one. Then your personal brand becomes known as the ‘master of none’ and your influence is weakened. You may be taken seriously.

In his book “Never Eat Alone”, Keith Ferrazzi talks about how to become recognised for a particular expertise, and a company champion. Choose an area where you see potential for recognition, and enjoy doing and become the ‘go to’ expert.

8. Out of Sight
Most people don’t like a ‘bragger’. However you should ‘toot your own horn’ so people in the company know the impact you are having.

This is especially important in larger organizations where the decisions around the next promotions are often by others in a different office, country or even continent. Which leads on to networking.

9.Networking
Firstly, if we assume you plan to stay with your current organization, you need to identify who are those people making the decisions about your future. Your manager and their bosses for sure. But who else in the organization needs to know about you? Make a plan to get noticed by them.

Secondly networking outside the organization is also key. Career management experts will often say

Your next job search starts when you start a new job

Do not just fire up the virtual rolodex when you need it. Instead, plan a system to keep in touch with your network. Build relationships and new connections. Make introductions. Share resources and information. Add value. Then when you ask for help it’s going to be repaid – career karma again.

“Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken”
Oscar Wilde

10. Being Yourself
This is about having a clear understanding of your personal brand, who and what you stand for, your career goals and an actionable plan.
Incorporate these 10 strategies in to that plan and look forward to that next promotion.

Have a brandtastic week!

Paul

P.S. Need more help to gain that next promotion? - lets chat - call or email me.

]]>Declare your independence from your criticshttp://www.happen.ca/declare-independence-critics/
Sun, 24 Jan 2016 17:42:26 +0000http://thehappenblog.wordpress.com/?p=1625"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who […]

]]>"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat"
- Teddy Roosevelt speaking at the Sorbonne in 1910.

Some truths are timeless: The critics, your critics, will always be there, lurking and worthless. It's you who counts.

There's no storybook about "The Boy Who Followed Somebody Else's Dream", no movie rights sold for the tale of "It Wasn't Within My Purview To Consider Alternatives", no Sinatra tune entitled "I Did It The Way My Critics Requested I Do It".

All the songs, all the movies, all the books say the same damn thing about you and your dream for a reason, - because it's true!

]]>How to Reapply After a Rejectionhttp://www.happen.ca/how-to-reapply-after-a-rejection/
Sun, 24 Jan 2016 17:40:24 +0000http://thehappenblog.wordpress.com/?p=1622She was a senior human-resources professional who was laid off in summer 2009 from her job at large hospital in Texas. After the layoff, she did everything she knew from her years in HR would help her land a job. She woke early every day, put on her business suit, networked like mad, lunched with […]

]]>She was a senior human-resources professional who was laid off in summer 2009 from her job at large hospital in Texas. After the layoff, she did everything she knew from her years in HR would help her land a job. She woke early every day, put on her business suit, networked like mad, lunched with contacts ... the whole nine yards.

Still, no job offers came; just those cold-as-silicon, automatically generated rejection letters. You know the kind: vaguely worded, anonymously sent e-mails saying they've received your application and will contact you if they see a fit.

Yeah, right. Don't hold your breath.

The HR pro didn't. Instead, she contacted Laurie M. Winslow, principal at Talent Innovations Group. Winslow looked at her resume, saw that it did a good job making the case that she was management material, reformatted the document and used the HR pro's list of connections until she found one who knew a senior management member of one of the companies to which she had already applied. She then told the HR pro to resubmit the new resume to all those automatic online application sites.

The job seeker did reapply, changing her e-mail address so it wouldn't appear to be a duplicate. She was hired for one of the positions for which she was originally rejected.

Was it the contact that did the trick, or was it the reformatted, resubmitted resume? Probably both, but what really matters is that she bounced back, tweaked her resume and reapplied.

It's not you, it's your resume

We contacted HR professionals who work with resume applicant tracking systems (ATS), and all of them said the same thing: If you've received a computer-generated rejection letter for a position for which you believe you are qualified, you should understand that your resume has been rejected, not you.

In such cases, the issue may be that your resume lacks specific keywords and search terms or the format caused a problem for the software. In that case, Winslow said, a smart applicant "will immediately contact the recruitment office of the rejecting
organization. If they cannot get through to the appropriate recruiter, I would advise that they speak with a sympathetic administrative assistant --anyone who can guide them as to the best way for them to replace the resume currently in the ATS with one containing the correct keywords and phrases. And once their customized resume has been submitted, I would encourage them to contact the appropriate recruiter (or sympathetic administrative assistant) and request that their updated resume be reviewed for the open position."

Read on for more tips about how to tweak a resume and reapply after receiving an automated rejection letter.

Best practices for jumping back into the ATS
Winslow advises her clients to change the e-mail address they use to submit their applications, since e-mail is the primary identifier used by common ATS software to sort resumes, and changing it will probably convince the ATS it's a new application. (More-advanced ATS programs, like Taleo, use multiple candidate identifiers, Winslow said, but multiple applications are still OK, so long as the content remains accurate.)

And it doesn't hurt to reach a human on the other side of the ATS. Winslow recommended applicants use LinkedIn or other networking tools to find a contact within the company to whom they can speak about why you think you're a good fit for the position.

"Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call," Winslow said. "Use LinkedIn or whatever networking tool you have to reach out and say, 'Hey, have you really looked at this application?' "

Tell them that you've reworked your original resume to show more accurately why you're the best candidate for the position and that you'd like to reapply, but make sure you don't put anyone on the defensive by insinuating that they made a mistake.
Where to restrain your tweaking

When looking at a resume, recruiters look to make sure that, if there are multiples, no significant data has been altered. To avoid appearing flaky at best and fraudulent at worst, keep the work history consistent, and don't change company names for which you've worked, titles you've held, education, or months and years at the companies. Bottom line: Executive summaries and bulleted lists of key skills and achievements are the areas to tweak, not work-history sections.

"As long as those things [in the work-history section] stay the same," Winslow said, "if you just change the resume format to something more usable and more applicable to the job description, there's nothing wrong with that, as long as you don't falsify information."

Tiffani Murray is the manager of technology and metrics for the talent-acquisition department of a major beverage manufacturer. Murray's position includes managing the ATS for her large company, which uses the Peopleclick software application. Murray's advice for applicants who initially get rejected and who want to modify their resumes is to pay attention not only to the resume -- make sure the keywords replicate the job posting, for example -- but how the data is collected in the system. For example, some company career sites merely allow you to upload your resume, while others require users to fill in specific fields, such as job title or skills.

In their rush to complete the online application, many applicants might skip over these and other fields with multiple selection boxes, she said. On the second attempt, Murray stresses the importance of applicants taking the time to fill in all of the information requested, even if it's listed as optional. "I recommend this because in many of the systems, these fields of information become searchable for the recruiters on the other side," she said. Fill it all in, even if information such as years of experience or degrees is listed on your resume. It's impossible to know when a recruiter might sort by this information to filter out applicants, and filling in all fields will ensure you don't erroneously get caught in a screening filter.

About the Author:
Lisa Vaas covers resume writing techniques and the technology behind the job search for TheLadders.

]]>Global Market Outlook… According to T. Rowe Pricehttp://www.happen.ca/global-market-outlook-according-to-t-rowe-price/
Sat, 23 Jan 2016 19:11:27 +0000http://www.happen.ca/?p=8538Global Market Outlook… According to T. Rowe Price As the drag from weaker oil prices and the stronger U.S. dollar seen in 2015 begins to fade, U.S. corporate profits should turn upward in 2016. But with muted growth continuing across most of the world's advanced economies and in many emerging economies, investors should expect […]

As the drag from weaker oil prices and the stronger U.S. dollar seen in 2015 begins to fade, U.S. corporate profits should turn upward in 2016. But with muted growth continuing across most of the world's advanced economies and in many emerging economies, investors should expect more subdued returns going forward.

This observation and several others were made during T. Rowe Price's annual Global Market Outlook press briefing, which was held in New York City in November.

KEY OUTLOOK OBSERVATIONS

Growth has steadied in advanced economies, anchored by the U.S. andEurope. Peripheral European countries, including Irelandand Spain, have more economic momentum than their larger counterparts. Emerging market economies are generally slowing, driven by China and large commodity producers.

Inflation is likely to remain benign – rising, but still low in advanced economies, and generally lower in emerging market economies. Core inflation is broadly below central banks' targets in advanced economies and is more mixed in the emerging world.

Moderately rising short-term interest rates in the U.S. should not derail stocks in 2016, though robust global growth is required for more broadly favorable equity markets. Global growth will be led by consumption and services, and by companies that are disruptive innovators.

Stock returns in emerging markets will continue to vary by country. Latin American economies that are tied to commodities may continue to struggle. Stock valuations inAsia-ex Japan are generally compelling and corporate earnings in many markets should improve after several years of poor growth. Though China's economic challenges are well known, opportunities do exist, especially in sectors such as technology, consumption, and services, as well as in some state-owned companies that are undergoing structural reforms.

Corporate governance is improving inJapan, leading to more shareholder-friendly policies and interesting investment opportunities.

BALTIMORE, Nov. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Here’s what he’s promised to do as Prime Minister of Canada as it relates to household balance sheets. ( Excerpts taken from Money Sense) October 19th 2015

Cut the annual Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) contribution limit from $10,000 back to $5,500. Arguably one of Trudeau’s least popular campaign promises (an Angus Reid survey recently found that 67% of Canadians aren’t in favour of any political party reversing the increase), the roll back could cost savers tens of thousands of dollars over the long term

Raise income taxes on the top 1% of earners, trim it for everyone else. Trudeau’s platform was anchored by his promise to cut the middle income tax bracket from 22% to 20.5% for Canadians earning between $44,700 and $89,401 a year, amounting to savings of $670 a year (or $1,340 for a two-income household). He’s also promised to create a new tax bracket of 33% for those earning $200,000 a year or more.

Reduce payroll taxes. Employment Insurance (EI) premiums are expected to fall to $1.65 per $100 under a Liberal majority government.

Give a little here, take a little there, from young families. Trudeau has vowed to cancel the up to $2,000 annual benefit to couples with kids under the age of 18, leveraging the recently introduced income splitting for families option. He also said he would ditch the Universal Child Care Benefit for Canada’s wealthiest families and instead introduce the Canada Child Benefit that will give the majority of families up to $2,500 more, tax-free, every year (typically for a family of four).

Protect the home-ownership dream. . The Liberals also said they would loosen the existing qualification rules for the Home Buyers’ Plan, allowing more Canadians affected by sudden and significant life changes (such as divorce) to access their RRSP savings for a down payment on a second home.

Reform the CRA. Among Trudeau’s plans for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is a vague promise to have the agency contact people who have tax benefits but aren’t collecting them.

Restore the traditional retirement age. The Liberals have vowed to restore the Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) eligibility ages back to 65 after the Conservatives under Stephen Harper had introduced a plan to gradually raise the eligibility age to 67 for anyone born in or after 1958. Trudeau has promised however to leave pension income splitting intact for seniors as well as introduce a new seniors price index to ensure benefits keep up with rising living costs and a 10% boost to the GIS for single, low-income seniors.

Grants and grace periods for students and young professionals. Trudeau made headlines when he said he would eliminate the need for graduates to repay their student loans until they are earning at least $25,000 per year.

]]>3 Reasons to Embrace Uncertainty in 2016http://www.happen.ca/3-reasons-to-embrace-uncertainty-in-2016/
Sat, 23 Jan 2016 18:59:29 +0000http://www.happen.ca/?p=8537 3 Reasons to Embrace Uncertainty in 2016 It seems there is never a shortage of bad news going around. 2015 has certainly had its share. Environmental disasters, pervasive war and violence, corporate restructure, not to mention turbulent financial markets. Most people approach the New Year with excitement and hope. However, what happens after the […]

It seems there is never a shortage of bad news going around. 2015 has certainly had its share. Environmental disasters, pervasive war and violence, corporate restructure, not to mention turbulent financial markets. Most people approach the New Year with excitement and hope. However, what happens after the first bit of bad news hits your world? Whether its job loss, health or stock market volatility? How do you handle it? What can you do learn from, thrive and find opportunity in it?

In baseball you can only score points/runs by taking risks. Playing it safe is not progress. Progress involves moving forward, taking chances and stepping outside your comfort zone. However, as with everything you must play it smart.

Ask Yourself... Moving forward how can I minimize risks?

Concerned about the markets? Learn more about what is happening in the investment world. Take a course. If you are working with an advisor ask them for resources where you can learn more as a new investor. Get more involved in your finances and you will feel more in control.

Stretch Yourself. Especially about things you fear.

Concerned about losing your job? Beef up your resume. Become more skilled at what you do. Ask yourself- What can I do to become a more invaluable employee, not just to your current employer, but to the industry you work in as a whole? Act as if you’re self-employed and take note of the results.

See the glass as full. There is always opportunity in failure and in uncertainty.

Ask Warren Buffet. His mantra is: “Be greedy when others are fearful and be fearful when others are greedy”. Look for the silver lining. I will never forget when I met a cancer survivor who said she was glad she had gone through the experience. She realized what she was capable of and what was important in her life.

Embracing Uncertainty can be the ultimate gift that life has to offer…

]]>The 2 hour MBA…10 world-class management insights that will increase your value and accelerate your career!http://www.happen.ca/the-2-hour-mba-10-world-class-management-insights-that-will-increase-your-value-and-accelerate-your-career/
Sun, 04 Oct 2015 20:40:16 +0000http://www.happen.ca/?p=7923Donald Cooper , Knocked it out of the park, with his unique , funny , practical and enlightening presentation to a full house of HAPPEN members and Visitors on September 29th in Mississauga. As a World -Class Management Consultant, Speaker and Entrepreneur , Donald thrilled the audience with his "no nonsense" , approach to business, […]

]]>Donald Cooper , Knocked it out of the park, with his unique , funny , practical and enlightening presentation to a full house of HAPPEN members and Visitors on September 29th in Mississauga.

As a World -Class Management Consultant, Speaker and Entrepreneur , Donald thrilled the audience with his "no nonsense" , approach to business, Careers and Finding the right fit! He generously provided all attendees with invaluable handouts, on-live tools and personal coaching base on his many years as a leading Retailer Sports, (Copper sports) and Fashion Industries.

The key message was defining your "Differentiation", which ultimately leads to one's success.

A snap shot of the audience's reaction to Donald's wisdom is illustrated below.

62 of the attendees signed up to receive his Management E-Newsletter. That’s a very high percentage of the total audience. Below is a summary of the Feedback Sheets completed by those 62 attendees...

A) Ratings of Donald’s presentation for ‘Happen’:
- 2% rated my program as a 4 out of 5.
- 24% gave it a perfect 5 out of 5.
- 74% rated it as an over-the-top 6 out of 5.

B) Typical comments:
- Best presentation and insight ever given to Happen members.
- I loved your honesty!
- So many ‘keepers’. I loved it. Thank you.
- Bottom-line insights, energizing, inspiring, funny and real. Thanks.
- Fantastic. I could have listened to you for another hour.
- Best business presentation I’ve ever heard.
- Thanks for the Handout.
- I wish I had experienced this presentation 30 years ago.
- Superb presentation.
- So many insights and ‘keepers’. This truly was a 2-hour MBA.
- Insightful, passionate and fun.

For more information on Donald Cooper please see below;
http://www.donaldcooper.com/images/donald-cooper-logo.png

]]>Are you worth Remembering so Others will refer You?http://www.happen.ca/are-you-worth-remembering-so-others-will-refer-you/
Wed, 26 Aug 2015 20:42:22 +0000http://www.happen.ca/?p=7576Everyone is telling me that I have to get all over this new fad called social networking. I need to Twitter my 140 character brilliance, start Facebooking a following, blog my beliefs and get LinkedIn with all the right people. So guess what… I am! I am now creating an awesome digital footprint to cement […]

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Everyone is telling me that I have to get all over this new fad called social networking. I need to Twitter my 140 character brilliance, start Facebooking a following, blog my beliefs and get LinkedIn with all the right people. So guess what… I am! I am now creating an awesome digital footprint to cement my place in this world. Social networking is where it’s at today.

In my keynote I discuss the incredible importance of creating a brilliant impression because if you want to create real influence today you need to get strangers to start talking about you.
So the great news is with the advent of Social Networking you finally have the tools to get your message out there wide and fast. But… there is a catch because with social networking now everyone including your competitors can network fast too! In fact, as I write this blog thousands of others are blogging their intellect just like me!

What I notice is Social Networking moves your message fast. However, with the rapid flow of information today our message can be easily topped by new ideas coming down the pipe so repetition of the message is key. Communication as we know it no longer sits on desks in hopes of a future decision. Now it’s the Twitterverse or Blogosphere that sucks up all that we know and spews it out for others to read. Where your knowledge will go and how long it sticks in people’s minds all depends on how interesting and compelling you make it for others to hold on to. Bottom line… if you want people to remember you, you need to give them something worth remembering and repeating to others.

Social Networking isn’t just a shift in technology it’s a shift in thinking about the way we need to communicate with customers. Today, because of this high tech pace we live in not only does your message have to be short and to the point it has to grab people quickly or you risk losing them to another flash of brilliance flying by. In the past we measured impressions over months now its days sometimes even hours.

So what are you doing to keep top of mind with your customer? How often are you refreshing that message so that you are once again at the top in your customer’s world? You need to ask what you know that makes others want to talk about you and then share your expertise with others. Crowded places (like we experience with the digital universe) can create confusion because there are too many places for you or your message to get lost. Your challenge is define your space, communicate it brilliantly and make your message so damn exciting others want to repeat it for you!

]]>Financially Thriving after Sudden Unemployment Or Transitionhttp://www.happen.ca/financially-thriving-after-sudden-unemployment-or-transition/
Thu, 09 Jul 2015 16:48:18 +0000http://www.happen.ca/?p=7333Jackie Porter has been in the financial industry for 18 years serving over 400 families, established businesses and professionals in the Greater Toronto Area. Her practice focuses on investment planning, cash flow management and tax planning. In her role as a certified financial planner, she helps busy professionals make informed decisions around their finances by […]

Jackie Porter has been in the financial industry for 18 years serving over 400 families, established businesses and professionals in the Greater Toronto Area. Her practice focuses on investment planning, cash flow management and tax planning.
In her role as a certified financial planner, she helps busy professionals make informed decisions around their finances by helping them to see their financial circumstances clearly. This is accomplished by working with her clients "team of advisors" to create a "360" degree snapshot of current and future financial circumstances. In addition, Jackie specializes in helping professionals who are experiencing a life change by receiving a settlement or severance package.
Jackie is called upon frequently to provide advice to the media on the subject of RRSP contributions. She also is a featured speaker and advocate for numerous corporate, nonprofit and charitable organizations. Jackie also acts as a consultant to the TDSB on the subject of financial literacy in the school system. She has also served on the Board of Directors for Advocis Peel Halton and Advocis Toronto, an organization that regulates financial planners.